Holiday shopping is in high
gear. Today is the first day of Chanukah. It will soon be followed by
Christmas, all of which brings a flurry of shopping.
The where and how of holiday shopping plagues many of
us. Nothing can quite compare with the yearly ritual of holiday shopping, which
theoretically begins on the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday. However, in
actuality it begins much earlier, of late right after Halloween. In fact, the way
things are going, pretty soon the stores will start putting up tinsel on the 4th
of July.
The frenetic pace of mall madness increases
unabated throughout December. The shopping itself takes on such dimensions that
with many people the material overwhelms the spiritual aspect of the holidays.
But before the shopping can even begin, there is
the business of finding parking at The
Mall. Holiday shoppers know when they
are nearing this location because traffic becomes as thick as an ant colony,
and jockeying for position starts in earnest. Inevitably, a type "A"
personality loses patience and aggressively pulls out on the shoulder of the
road, speeds ahead, then forces his/her way into the regular stream of traffic.
This individual manages to gain perhaps four or five car lengths to ultimately
beat the traffic light, forcing other drivers to slam on their brakes and come
to an abrupt halt. A cacophony of horns proceeds to announce the general
agitation.
Arriving at the mall, one is treated to a
breathtaking sight—an unending sea of automobiles. There is quite literally not
a parking spot to spare. And so begins the art of cruising for a space. This
can be compared to the choreography of a ballet. Automobiles pirouette and
arabesque around the lot.
Inevitably, there is a car waiting in each aisle
for someone to pull out. Often there are two vehicles set to swoop down like
vultures. The poor driver who must pull out of the spot has a serious dilemma:
which way to go? One or the other of the waiting drivers must be disappointed,
only to drive off angrily, perhaps offering the middle finger salute.
Definitely not showing proper holiday spirit! (More like the gunfight at Okay
Corral)Drivers keep cruising, ready to dive like kamikaze
pilots when they find a likely target--barely avoiding fender benders--a holiday
miracle in itself. No matter how many spaces exist, there are never enough.
Another technique involves following those who are
leaving. Sometimes these shoppers are merely putting away their packages and
return to the Mall for further exploration. Then there is the individual, fully
aware someone is waiting for his/her parking spot, who decides this is a good
time to sit and light up a cigarette, fiddle with the car radio, or begin a
philosophical discussion on the meaning of life with someone they've conjured
on a cell phone.
Most amazing of all are those who decide to grab
the closest parking spot. I'm talking here about nabbing the spaces set aside
for the handicapped. These artists fall into several categories. First are
those who have no physical impediment whatsoever but park illegally because
they don't want to continue cruising. We have no trouble spotting them as they
run out when the police start ticketing. The second category: those who somehow
obtained handicapped stickers yet can move like gazelles, either had some
impediment but are over it and kept their stickers, or obtained them illegally
in the first place. There seem to be a growing number of these talented artists
who we may refer to as prima donnas.
With so many people claiming the right to place
handicapped stickers in their automobiles, I am waiting for the time when
non-handicapped signs will be issued instead.
After managing to obtain a parking spot and
reaching the Promised Land of the Mall, we are greeted by a chorus of
Hallelujah from the sound system. Unfortunately, by this time, we are almost
too weary to shop.
When Chanukah and Christmas come and all the gifts
are finally handed out, matters are not in the least resolved, as a good
portion of those gifts will end up being returned soon after. (The heaviest
shopping day of the entire year is December 26th) So just when we
think our holiday shopping is finally done, it's only just begun!
Then there's the matter of re-gifting. That's the
most bizarre ritual of all. This refers to presents that don't come with any
clue as to where they were purchased. Even Sherlock Holmes would scratch his
head in perplexity.
These are gifts that no one in their right mind
would want to keep: purple plaid socks, perfume that would make a skunk turn up
its tail in disgust. Well, you get the picture! So what does one do with such
odious presents? Naturally, we save them and give them to those who have given
us their re-gifts. You know you've gone full cycle when one of your re-gifts is
gifted back to you.
So how do we avoid mall madness? More people than
ever are turning to online shopping. A good friend told me the other day that
she has neither the time nor the health to shop other than via the internet. So
what are good gifts that won’t put you in hock for the rest of the year and can
be purchased conveniently?
I would like to suggest that books are excellent
gifts to give. You don’t have to run around. You can make your selections in
comfort. And you don’t have to spend your life savings. There’s a perfect book
for everyone, whether a bestseller or something from an unknown author. There
are a multitude of useful nonfiction titles: perhaps a cookbook, a book on home
repairs, or history. Fiction provides many choices such as romance, mystery, or
thriller. Children’s books are more appealing than ever.
Naturally I’m going to recommend my backlist as
well as my current book THE BURNING which I believe is a good choice for both
male and female readers. It combines fiction with nonfiction and is available
in both print and ALL e-book formats.
You can check it out here:
What are your feelings regarding holiday shopping?
Do you shop online or prefer to shop in person? Do you give books as gifts? Do you consider
books good gifts? What books would you like to recommend, either your own or
those of others? Thoughts and comments most welcome!
